South Korean actress spins historic Oscar nomination

SEOUL (Reuters) – Youn Yuh-jung is a film icon in South Korea, having starred in more than 100 films and TV series.

But the 73-year-old said she never expected to be South Korea’s first nominee at the Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress, for her role in “Minari” as a spiritual grandmother who traveling from South Korea to the United States to care for the grandchildren.

“I don’t know how to describe (e). I never even dreamed of being nominated for an Oscar, ”said Youn Fright in a media interview on Monday.

Youn said she was in a two-week quarantine coronavirus quarantine, after a job in Canada, when she heard the news from a friend, who burst into tears after telling her about the announcement.

“She shouted,” I wasn’t crying, “Youn said with a cuckle. “I was just lying on the bed and I was half asleep. ”

Youn shared a historic debut with “Minari” co-star Steven Yeun, the first Asian-American to be nominated for best actor Oscar. Born in Seoul, Yuen and his family moved to Canada and then to the United States as a child.

Since her acting debut in 1966, Youn has been a sensation on Korean screens for playing humorous, thought-provoking characters, including a superhero in “The Bacchus Lady” in 2016 .

Youn has already won 32 awards for her role in “Minari,” a bidding American story about a Korean immigrant family in the 1980s trying to improve themselves by starting a farm in Arkansas.

“Minari” is very personal for director Lee Isaac Chung, based in part on his own life growing up in Arkansas. The film has been nominated for six Academy Awards, and has already collected others, including best golden language film this year at the Golden Globes.

“Minari is making history. Congratulations to Isaac, Steven, YJ, Emile and all the Minari family on their wonderful 6 #OscarNoms, ”the“ Minari ”production team said on Twitter.

The film uses an intriguing, leafy green minari with interconnected roots that will take at least a year to grow, as a metaphor for an immigrant experience, said pop culture writer Kim Hern-sik, who suggested the photo rare at Youn of Korea’s unusual grandmother.

“The public sympathizes with the integrity of its performance,” said Kim. “She works like she belongs in the story and is this tall character full of wisdom from her life.”